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“To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it did win the Best Picture Academy Award back in those days, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, while this movie started, I suddenly remembered that I actually read this book maybe 30 years ago when I was a kid” read more
“I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a really strong cast involved, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, even if it definitely had some potential, to be honest, it didn’t really impress me after all. The first really bewildering thing about this movie was the fact” read more
“Since this short was available on Disney+, I thought I might as well check it out. I thought I already saw the damned thing but it was apparently not the case. Anyway, even if Disney had already released other cartoons before, this one really stood out because it introduced Mickey Mouse, their most ” read more
Cinematic Firsts
chosen by Eric
Notes: I had been complaining that, instead of the usual super heavy dramas, we should see something funny for once so, at least, I finally got what I asked. Well, even though I have to admit that it did turn out to be fun and entertaining, to be honest, it didn’t really convince me though. I mean, Louis Garel who directed the movie and played the main character, managed to gather a really strong cast and they all delivered some solid performances. I above all enjoyed Roschdy Zem who made his character so complex and charismatic. After the movie, some members of my film club described it as a feelgood movie but I don't really agree. In my opinion, it was more complex with many layers but, at some point, Garrel should have stopped piling up his ideas and develop instead what he had so far. There was also some pacing issues. I mean, for maybe half of the movie, the main character was trying to figure out what was his new step-father up to and, then, pretty much out of nowhere, he decided to help him out with his next heist which was maybe fun but it didn't really add up with everything that happened before. To make it even more convoluted, during this heist, he basically confessed that he was actually in love with his (deceased) wife's best friend which was another massive U turn. Eventually, its messy aspect made this movie fairly unpredictable but it definitely had its downside. Indeed, as a result, even though you laugh because the situations were funny, you also stop caring about the characters because what they were going through was more about entertaining the audience than actually telling something about them. Still, we definitely had a good time though.
(Feb. 2023)
“I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it did win the Golden Calf for the Best Dutch movie of the year, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, even if it definitely had some potential, to be honest, I thought the damned thing was rather disappointing after all. First of al” read more
Notes: I have to admit that I have never been a huge fan of such classic screwball comedies, in fact, it was probably the first one I have ever saw almost 20 years ago which might explain why I didn’t connect with the damned thing the first time I saw it. Anyway, sure, it is actually a really silly story but that’s why it’s actually quite fun because no one involved actually took the damned thing seriously. The cast was also pitch-perfect (Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe). Sure, you might argue that Grant was maybe not really convincing as a super smart scientist and, in fact, I think that Rogers actually stole the show here. Indeed, she was actually the most convincing of the two playing not only a caring housewife but also a hyperactive teenager and a mischievous young kid. Concerning Marilyn Monroe, she was not yet a super star but she was soon going to be and she was playing here her usual brainless pin-up but it was exactly what was needed here. Another thing that I enjoyed with this movie was that the fact that it was not dealing with a couple who was supposed to fall in love after the usual shenanigans, it was actually dealing with a strong stable couple which was just quite refreshing and I think that Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers had some really nice chemistry.
Notes: I have to admit that I have never been a huge fan of such classic screwball comedies, in fact, it was probably the first one I have ever saw almost 20 years ago which might explain why I didn’t connect with the damned thing the first time I saw it. Anyway, sure, it is actually a really silly story but that’s why it’s actually quite fun because no one involved actually took the damned thing seriously. The cast was also pitch-perfect (Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe). Sure, you might argue that Grant was maybe not really convincing as a super smart scientist and, in fact, I think that Rogers actually stole the show here. Indeed, she was actually the most convincing of the two playing not only a caring housewife but also a hyperactive teenager and a mischievous young kid. Concerning Marilyn Monroe, she was not yet a super star but she was soon going to be and she was playing here her usual brainless pin-up but it was exactly what was needed here. Another thing that I enjoyed with this movie was that the fact that it was not dealing with a couple who was supposed to fall in love after the usual shenanigans, it was actually dealing with a strong stable couple which was just quite refreshing and I think that Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers had some really nice chemistry. 
